


Magical Reawakening.

by JWade



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-04 21:36:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12780000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JWade/pseuds/JWade
Summary: Magic had been dead for a thousand years before it was reborn in young Tiana. The tragedies of her young life send her on her quest earlier than is wise, causing children to do a job meant for adults as they try to awaken the dormant magic before it tears their world apart.This is the prologue of the new original novel I'm working on that I should be able to finish in the next few weeks. It was suggested that I post here as a preview.





	1. Chapter 1

Villagers the breadth of the continent hunkered in their homes as the storm season seemed to have come early. The ground quaked beneath them as the thunder rolled above. Roaring winds blew through the streets, taking anything that hadn’t yet been secured along with them as lightning struck the ground with resounding cracks. There was a family though, that paid no attention to the storms raging around them, as they awaited their new arrival.

Frigen paced the floor as he listened to his wife’s screams from the next room. The midwife had arrived just before the storms started, not long after Caria had gone into labor. It had been a difficult pregnancy and the midwife wasn’t hopeful about the prognosis of the mother or the baby, which caused Frigen much distress. This was a late pregnancy for them. They were rapidly approaching old age, and had long thought Caria barren. It seemed like forever before Frigen finally heard the cry of a baby, though he could barely hear it over the roll of thunder and crack of lightning that came at the same time. As he rushed into the room to hold his new child, he didn’t even notice the end of the storm.

He rushed into the room, just in time for his daughter to be thrust into his arms by the frantic midwife. Frigen didn’t know much about birthing, but he knew, even without the midwife’s frantic bustling, that the amount of blood between his wife’s legs was not normal. Caria reached out her arms for the baby, and Frigen, with tears in his eyes, laid her on his wife’s breast. “Tiana,” she said weakly in awe as the pudgy little arm reached up for her, showing a white starburst birthmark on the inside of her right arm. No sooner than Frigen had noticed it, his attention was drawn back to his wife as she breathed her last and the newly christened Tiana began to cry once more, followed soon by her father, as the midwife slipped silently out of the room so as not to interrupt the family’s mourning.

It was nearly an hour later and Frigen had not yet left his wife’s side, when a young woman came in, carrying her own child of nearly six months. Frigen had been expecting her. She would nurse little Tiana until she was old enough to wean. He handed over the baby without a word, and Marla took her in her free arm and went to the sitting room to feed the newborn. They would discuss the details of the arrangement later. Frigen had not wanted to do so before, not wanting to consider the possibility of his beloved wife not surviving the birth.

Marla stayed there, with both infants, until nightfall when Frigen finally exited his room. “You can take her with you until she is grown enough to not need you,” he said wearily. He knew that it wasn’t his daughter’s fault that her mother died, but didn’t think he could deal with her right now anyway, and since she would need to be around Marla most of the time anyway, it would give him time to grieve in peace before he had to face her.

Marla simply nodded and took the bag he gave her with the things for Tiana. He would share his food and wares with her as long as Tiana was with her as well, as was customary in these arrangements. There was nothing odd about the infant residing with the wet nurse for the first year, especially when the mother didn’t survive the birth and she had a husband and children at home already.

The villagers were nervous by the eerie stillness after the great storm. Generally, when the storm season began it didn’t end for weeks, and built slowly and then tapered off just as slowly. The sudden intensity and then the end was odd, and they didn’t much like oddities. None of them connected the occurrence with the birth of Tiana though. None save her father and the midwife, who were the only ones who knew just how close the timing really was. The midwife did not speak of it, but avoided the child like the plague, leaving her medical care to her assistant. Frigen also didn’t speak of it for fear of losing his last link to his beloved wife and soon put it out of his mind altogether.

Tiana was a week old before Frigen felt up to facing her and was a frequent visitor to Marla’s home after that. Marla and her family were delighted with the lovable child, and credited the good karma generated by Marla’s generosity in caring for her for the rash of good luck that befell her family. Their crops were flourishing, they made it through the storm season with no damage to their home or belongings, her husband’s hunts were always fruitful, and her children and Tiana were in perfect health. Frigen also had a similar string of good luck.

The real storm season began when Tiana was only two weeks old, and ran the usual course, except that the storms weren’t quite as strong at their peak as they usually were. The villagers credited that to the early storm, choosing to believe that it had gotten the worst of it out of the way beforehand. It was the only explanation they could come up with.

The entire village had a bountiful harvest that year, though Frigen’s and Marla’s put them all to shame. Frigen was even able to purchase a pair of goats that fall, which would give them fresh milk and cheese by the time Tiana came home. By the time the fall storm season rolled around, the villagers had more than enough food stored to get them through the winter, without any of the lean times that generally came later in the year.

By the time Tiana came home just before her first birthday, and a few weeks in advance of the spring storm season, Frigen was completely enamored with her. He took her out to the porch every morning to watch the suns rise as he told her stories of her mother, who she was coming to resemble greatly as her light brown hair was growing to form delicate ringlets and her eyes darkened to the same nearly purple color as her mother’s.

Frigen doted on his daughter. It wasn’t until just after her second birthday that the strange storm at her birth was brought back to his mind when he noticed the strange occurrences that surrounded her. No matter how high the shelf was where he put things, she somehow always got her hands on what she wanted the instant his back was turned. He was able to ignore it for a while, when she would turn her innocent charming smile on him and he would melt.

It wasn’t until he entered her room one day to find all of her toys dancing in the air around her that he couldn’t ignore it anymore. He rushed in, swatting them out of the air before he picked her up in his arms and held her tightly, so tightly she cried out in pain, prompting him to loosen his grip slightly. “It’s okay, papa. I only playing,” she said sweetly, sensing his distress.

“Don’t…Don’t play like that Tiana. Please. Don’t ever do that. Especially where anyone else can see,” he said fearfully. He was brought back to his early fear of losing her should people find out what she was capable of.

She bit her lip as it started to quiver. “I bad?” she asked worriedly.

“No baby. No, you’re not bad. You just can’t do stuff like that anymore. You understand?” he said nervously.

“Kay papa. I pwomise,” she said solemnly.

Tiana did her best to keep her promise after that. There were times that she couldn’t help herself and used her abilities to retrieve something she wanted, but her father never let himself notice. As long as she was subtle, he could pretend it wasn’t happening. It was their little secret. One that he knew would end them both if it was ever learned. The strange providence that had befallen the village since her birth took a more sinister turn for him. He just couldn’t see things the same way. He now knew, without question, that it had to do with her very presence and he became more than a little paranoid that other people would realize that too. He ended up keeping them locked away in their house more often than not, only venturing out into the village once a month for supplies.

The villagers talked about them often, thinking that the old man was losing his mind in grief for his wife. They had all noticed just how much Tiana looked like her mother, and figured that was what triggered it so late. They tried to coax him out more, but that just made him more paranoid, and when they tried to get Tiana to come out and play with the other children, his reaction quickly sent them on their way and increased the muttering about them. He never realized that his behavior was drawing far more attention than Tiana’s presence ever could.

Tiana had just turned four years old when disaster struck and Frigen’s secret was exposed. They had been visiting the village to stock up on supplies just as the storm season started, before they got too bad to travel. During this visit, a strong gust of wind blew the heavy sign off the apothecary’s shop and it was headed right towards Frigen. Tiana threw out her hand instinctively to protect her father and the sign was deflected. Unfortunately, it was deflected right towards a young mother rushing into a storefront to get out of the weather. She and her baby were killed instantly, and the villagers were frozen in shock and fear, looking at Tiana as if she were evil.

Frigen, knowing that when they snapped out of it, things would go haywire, grabbed his daughter and ran with her, heading back home as quickly as he could. He started throwing everything he could find in bags, ready to leave his whole life behind and find a new place to live. Before he could leave though, he heard banging on the front door and he knew that he was out of time. He peeked through the curtains and saw nearly the entire village gathered there.

“Worry not Frigen. We have no quarrel with you. Send out the witch and we will leave you in peace,” the magistrate told him calmly.

Frigen knew that there was no chance of them getting out of here now. He knew that they wouldn’t stop until they got her. If it hadn’t been for the death of the woman and baby he may be able to talk their way out of this, but that had to be answered for, and they would only accept one outcome. Tiana’s execution for witchcraft and murder. He had apparently taken too long to think because the magistrate spoke again. “Send her out Frigen or we’re coming in,” he said warningly.

Frigen acted quickly. He took the bag of food and supplies and wrapped the straps firmly around Tiana’s shoulders and whispered softly. Go out the back and run. Go into the forest and hide. Don’t come back, no matter what.”

“But papa. I can’t leave without you,” she said sniffling.

“You have to, baby. Don’t worry. Use whatever you can to survive. Use your abilities. You’ll be okay. Just go. Quickly,” he said kissing her on the brow and giving her a push towards the door before saying louder, just loud enough for those outside to hear him, “Go to your room and lock the door Tiana. Papa will take care of this.” Hopefully he could buy her enough time to get away.

Once the back door was closed behind her and he could make out her shape getting smaller as she approached the forest, he opened the front door and slipped out, not letting anyone in as he tried to talk the villagers down. He knew it was futile, but they were a generally peaceful people. They wouldn’t be quick to harm an old man in their eagerness to get at Tiana. As long as they thought she was still in the house, they would be content to try and talk him down. At least for a little while.

When they gave up on talking and tried to push past him to get into the house, he pushed back, trying to buy every second he could for his precious girl to get as far away as possible. The crowd was quickly getting worked up into an angry mob and he knew it was all over when he punched the magistrate. Shortly after that, the people poured into the house leaving his broken and bloody body barely breathing on the stoop. He managed to drag himself over the threshold as he heard the crack of the doorframe to Tiana’s room as they busted in. He heard a few more crashes and then they came out and started tearing the rest of the house apart as the magistrate came over to Frigen. “Where is she, old man?” he asked heatedly.

“Gone. You’ll…never…get her,” he breathed out in his last breath. The magistrate gave the body one more kick in anger before he joined the villagers in tearing the house down to its studs to make sure there were no hiding places possible before they headed towards the forest to search. How hard could it be to find a frightened child? Even if she did have an hour head start.


	2. Chapter 2

Jaren wheezed as he made his way back inside from tending his small garden. He had only managed to work out there for little more than an hour before he was too weak to continue. He knew that he was running out of time. He would have to send a missive to his son. The trader would come by next month, he would make sure it was ready then. It was time for the next generation to take over the vigil. He only hoped he could make it until his son arrived. He had waited too long. He knew that. He had so hoped he would live to see the arrival of the chosen one, though. He hoped it would be he who was able to start her on her path. It seemed that it wasn’t to be though.  
He made his way back inside and pulled out the ancient text, just to read it one last time. His eyesight was failing, making it difficult to read, but he was still able to manage, even if it was mostly by memory. His family had been living in this cabin in the middle of the forest for nearly a thousand years, not that much of the cabin was still as it had been back then. Almost all of it had been replaced due to needed repairs over the centuries. This was where they were tasked to wait, though. One day, magic would return to the world and the chosen bearer would be led here. He had the gifts ready, taking them out regularly to gaze at them, wondering what they were and what type of person would come for them.  
Jaren had begun his vigil twenty years ago, at the death of his father, just after his eldest son had married. He had not spoken to another person other than the trader who happened by twice a year since then. This clearing was so deep in the forest that most dared not venture this far. There were many stories about this forest, and while most thought them flights of fancy, they still did not dare to test them. Only Jaren knew that they were true. That once upon a time, when magic filled the world, this forest was alive. Often in the past few years he had gotten the sense that they were waking, or were perhaps simply still pretending to sleep. He had hoped that it was a sign that the time was near, but perhaps it was simply a sign of senility.  
It wasn’t even twilight yet when Jaren found himself dozing in his chair, but he pulled himself to standing, with great effort, and gingerly placed the ancient book back in its drawer before dragging his weary body to his bed, quickly drifting off to sleep. 

Tiana wasn’t sure how long she had been running. Her legs had long since begun to ache, and her tears were dried on her cheeks. She ran until the sun had set and night fell over the forest. She broke off a chunk of bread to eat, and drank from a nearby stream before curling up in a bed of wet leaves and the tears flowed freely again as she cried herself to sleep as the storm raged around her. She was asleep before she saw the tree branches shifting overhead, shielding her from the worst of the rain. She was sleeping too deeply to notice the deer that curled around her to keep her warm.  
When she woke the next morning, everything was as it had been when she had laid down. The tree branches were back to their normal place and the deer was already gone. Tiana was cold and frightened and hungry. She ate some more bread and drank from the stream again, not knowledgeable enough to know that the water shouldn’t pool in her hands nearly as easily as it was and not seeing how clear it turned as she removed it from the murky stream. Such things were far beyond her notice right now. All she could think of was her father and how alone she was and hoping that he was alright and that he would find her. He told her to run though. To not turn back, and she had to listen to him, so when her belly was full, and her thirst was quenched, she picked up the now half empty bag and began to run again, putting more and more distance between her and the village that she had always called home.  
She continued in this vein for four days. She ran out of food on the second day, but she stayed near the stream, so she still had access to water. The storms were picking up, so much so that had the forest not been protecting her, she likely wouldn’t have survived. She failed to notice the movement of the trees to intercept any debris that the wind kicked up, or the way the roots sticking out of the ground moved out of her path as she ran. The forest knew that she wasn’t in enough control of her powers yet to protect herself, so they would do it for her. She was their child. Their chosen. They kept her safe even as they herded her towards the sage.  
Night had just begun to fall on the fourth day when she stumbled into a small clearing with a smaller unkempt garden. It was her devastating hunger that led her into it as she began to pull vegetables from the ground and eat them raw. Another heavy gust of wind rattled the old house and made her jump. She bit her lip nervously as she looked at the door. She couldn’t remember what it was like to be dry. Or warm. She couldn’t resist going inside just for a bit. All the lights were out so if anyone was there they must be asleep. She could sneak in, dry off, maybe sleep for a bit and then leave before anyone woke up. Maybe she could even get some more food for her journey.  
She crept nervously up to the door and slipped inside as quietly as she could. The fire gave enough light for her to see, though the placement of it and the guard in front made the light very dim, but it had been darker outside. She made her way over to the wash basin and stripped out of her clothes, wringing them out over the basin as well as she could before replacing them. She made her way to the fire and stoked it like she had seen her father do, noticing that it was starting to die down and not wanting the occupants of the house to wake when it did. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood in her efforts not to cry out when she burnt her hand, and she found that soaking it in the water in the wash basin helped ease the sting. She had staved off the worst of her hunger in the garden, so her exhaustion took most of her mind and she made her way back to the plush bearskin rug in front of the fireplace and closed her eyes, only intending to sleep for a while. 

Jaren woke slowly the next morning and drug himself out of bed, holding onto the wall for purchase as he made his way towards the kitchen to find some breakfast, only to stop short as he saw a small dirty child curled up on the rug in front of the fire. His first thought was that the chosen had come, but he quickly put that out of his mind. The chosen couldn’t be starting the journey so young. It was just some lost child who wandered in out of the storm. The parents would likely be soon behind searching for her. He took his cane, knowing that he would need it to get back up again, and made his way over to her, kneeling next to her as he reached out to shake her shoulder gently. “Wake up, child. Are you hungry?” he asked gently.  
Tiana startled awake and scrambled away from him fearfully. She knew she was in trouble now. She had trespassed and stolen his food and as if that weren’t bad enough, if he found out that she was a…what was it the villagers had called her? A witch…he would surely kill her for it. She pressed herself as tightly into the corner as she could manage, not willing to brave trying to pass him to get to the door as the terror started to overwhelm her. “It’s alright, child. Old Jaren’s not gonna hurt you,” he said soothingly as he crawled towards her, hand outstretched only to snap it back as she whimpered, and a web of vines seemed to grow out of the ground to encase her in a protective cocoon. “The chosen,” he whispered in awe.  
Tiana’s whimpers turned to terrified sobs. Now she had done it again. Now he would know what she was. She remembered the fear in the villager’s eyes when she had saved her father on that street. She remembered the fear in her father’s eyes when he first saw her using her powers. She remembered the fear in his eyes again as he sent her away. She had known in that moment that they were going to kill her, and her fear had given her the strength to keep running, but she was trapped now. This was the end. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she sobbed brokenly, not even hearing the soft words spoken just outside her little save haven.  
When Jaren realized that she wasn’t hearing him, he sat back on the floor, knowing that he would regret that later, and he began to sing a lullaby that his mother had sang to him as a child and that he had sang to his own children. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there singing, but it couldn’t have been too long because his stomach wasn’t rebelling for breakfast yet. It was long enough for his old bones to start to ache though. Finally, he heard the sobs start to taper off and soon a small hole appeared in the vines and he could see a tiny frightened face peering out at him. “There now, that wasn’t so hard, was it? I promise I won’t hurt you, little one. Why don’t you come out of there and we can find something to eat hmm?”  
Tiana was still scared, but some part of her couldn’t help but trust him. That didn’t mean she would let him get too close. She was a fast runner when she needed to be. He did offer her food though and she was terribly hungry. The vines slowly drew away as she made the decision to come out and he smiled brightly at her. She skirted along the wall, staying out of arm’s reach as he struggled to his feet. When she saw how much trouble he was having moving around she rushed into the kitchen ahead of him. “I can get the food for us,” she offered, hoping to earn a little more by helping out.  
Jaren considered it for a moment. On one hand, he didn’t really want to put her to work, but she seemed eager to help and could definitely take care of it faster than he could. “Very well. The bread is in the cabinet there and the jam is under the counter next to the wash basin. There is milk from the goats out under the stoop,” he told her. He had just milked the goats last night and it was still cool enough with the storms that it would be good for another day or two. He definitely wasn’t going to put her to that much work getting fresh milk. He noticed how her face lit up at the mention of jam and milk and he wondered how long she had been wandering alone and where her parents were.  
Tiana went out to get the milk first and for a moment she considered making a run for it, but her stomach had other ideas. She could still run later if she needed to. He was old and slow. He wouldn’t be able to catch her. As long as she was careful, and especially didn’t let him get between her and the door, she could make it through this and even get a nice meal. The final decision was made when a bolt of lightning and a loud boom of thunder shook the cottage. She didn’t want to go back out there now. She scrambled back into the house with the milk and set it on the table and went for the bread, jam, and plates and cups which Jaren directed her to.  
It wasn’t until Tiana set the plate in front of him that he noticed the blistered burn on her hand, and he just managed to stop himself before he grabbed her arm to get a better look at it. She was still so skittish that it would probably send her running again and he didn’t have the strength to chase her. Instead, he spoke softly, “What happened to your hand?” Tiana quickly hid it behind her back guiltily and looked away. “It’s alright, child. You can tell me,” he prodded gently.  
“I…the…your fire…it was going down…I wanted to fix it…I did fix it…I just…”  
“Oh, you poor child. You shouldn’t have had to do that. I was just so tired last night, I forgot to stoke it before I went to bed. I’m sorry, little one,” he said sadly.  
Tiana looked at him with wide eyes. He was apologizing to her? She had snuck into his house in the night, played with fire like she knew she wasn’t supposed to, and he was apologizing to her for it? It didn’t make sense and she wanted to make sure he knew that she didn’t deserve it, so she confessed what else she had done last night. “I…I also…I ate some of your food…in the garden. I’m sorry. I was just so hungry,” she sniffled as she backed slowly towards the door, ready to make a run for it.  
“It’s quite alright, little one. I don’t think I would have had the strength to harvest it anyway. It couldn’t have been very good though. I know that none of it was quite ready and it wasn’t even cooked. You really must have been hungry.” She nodded through her tears. “I am not angry, child. Truly. I am only glad that you were able to get something to eat, poor though it may have been. Please. Sit. Eat.”  
She sat gingerly at the table and he motioned her towards the plate that he had filled with sliced bread and jam while they had been talking and she watched him warily as she picked it up and began to eat. When he just smiled warmly at her and picked up his own bread to begin eating, she dug in with gusto, filling her mouth almost faster than she could chew. Jaren chuckled and said, “Slow down, little one. I won’t take it away before you’re finished.”  
She mumbled something that he couldn’t understand with all the food in her mouth and he tilted his head questioningly at her. She chewed quickly and swallowed what was in her mouth and then tried again. “Tiana. My name is Tiana,” she said before she began eating quickly again.  
“That’s a beautiful name, Tiana. Maybe after breakfast you’ll let me put some poultice on your burn and wrap it up?” he asked hopefully.  
She could feel the fear welling up in her again at the thought of letting him get that close and even touch her, but he was being so kind to her. He was giving her food and he seemed to forgive her for what she’d done, and she couldn’t see the fear in his eyes that she had seen in the others who wanted to hurt her so she nodded nervously.  
Jaren considered telling her about herself, but decided that it could wait. According to the prophecies she would be here until the end of the storm season for two more weeks. He would have time. It would be better if he could earn her trust a little bit first. He wanted to know what had happened to her too. How she had come to be so far from civilization all alone and hungry enough to eat raw un-ripened vegetables straight from the ground. He knew that it was too soon for that story too though. He had to make her feel safe first. Safe enough to talk. Safe enough to stay. This was the moment he had been waiting his entire life for. He wasn’t going to risk ruining it by being impatient.  
They finished their breakfast in silence, and she hadn’t taken her eyes off him the entire time. She seemed both curious and wary of him all at once. Once they were finished eating, she took the plates and cups over to the wash basin and rinsed them off, jumping away when she heard his chair move as he struggled to get up. “It’s okay, Tiana. I’m just going to get the poultice and bandages for your hand,” he tried to reassure her.  
“I can get them,” she said quickly. She could tell that it hurt him to move around, plus she wanted him to stay where she could see him and knew where he was.  
“They are too high for you to reach,” he told her. “In that cabinet up there,” he pointed up above the counter. She hesitated for a moment before she decided that he had already seen her use her powers and didn’t seem to mind so she just reached out her good hand and the needed items flew out of the cupboard into it as she watched carefully for his reaction. “Handy, that,” he said with a chuckle. “Come. Sit. Let’s get that hand of yours fixed up.”  
She sat in the chair next to him, between him and the door and reached out her burned hand nervously. He took it with great care and very gently spread the poultice over the burn, apologizing when she whimpered in pain, before wrapping the bandage around it. “There now. All done. Doesn’t that feel better?”  
She tested moving her hand and found that the poultice had numbed the pain. “Thank you,” she said softly moving back away from him again. “I should go,” she said tentatively looking towards the door.  
“Nonsense. You should stay until the storms stop. I don’t want you going out there and getting hurt or sick,” he told her.  
She considered it for a moment. It was a kind offer and he seemed nice enough. She didn’t really want to go back out into the storm anyway, but her father had told her to keep running. Maybe she had run far enough for now. Maybe she could take a break. Maybe he really wouldn’t hurt her. She would still be careful though. “Okay. Til the storms stop,” she agreed.  
Jaren nodded. He wished he could offer her a place for longer. He wished he wouldn’t have to send her away at all, but the prophecies were clear. She could only stay until the storms ended. “I’m afraid I have little to do here to occupy little girls,” he admitted apologetically.  
She just shrugged and went to finish cleaning their breakfast dishes and then started straightening the house. She had often helped her father with the housework, so she knew what to do. When Jaren protested that she didn’t need to do that, she just told him it was better than being bored. In reality, she was overawed by his kindness and wanted to do something to deserve it.  
Jaren wasn’t much of a slob and generally kept things cleaned up so there wasn’t much to do, and the house was as clean as she could get it within an hour. Jaren decided he could start warming her up to the idea of magic at least, so he started telling her stories. Stories of days gone by, back when magic lit the world. He amused her with tales of magical creatures and humans who could use magic. Some of it he had gotten from stories passed down from his family, some of it he made up, and some of it came from the ancient text he still had. There was very little written down though. It was mostly just the prophecies, but he had figured out a few things from there.  
When the suns began to set, Jaren considered the sleeping arrangements. He wanted to offer her his bed, but he knew that he would never manage to sleep on the floor or get up the next morning if he did, and he doubted she would consent to sharing his bed, even if it weren’t completely improper to do so. In the end, he decided that she had seemed comfortable enough on the bearskin rug, and it was rather plush. He would get her a pillow and blanket though at least.  
For the first time in what felt like forever to the four-year-old girl, Tiana had three meals that day, was warm and dry, and fell asleep curled up by a fire. The tears still flowed as she lay there waiting for sleep to take her though. She missed her father. She missed her home. And she had no idea what was coming next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter to commemorate the launch of the kickstarter campaign where you can pre-order signed hard copies of the books. If you guys could help out or even just spread the word that would be wonderful. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/419071571/magical-awakening-book-series


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another preview chapter along with an update. The initial writing is finished. Now I'm working on editing and proofreading. It's still on track to be released for sale on December 11th.   
> Also, there are only 9 days left to preorder your personalized signed copy at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/419071571/magical-awakening-book-series

Despite Jaren’s kindness, Tiana still didn’t feel safe here. She wasn’t sure if she would ever feel safe again really. So, when Jaren shook her awake the next morning for breakfast, she once again scrambled into the corner before she remembered where she was. Jaren held his hands out welcomingly. “It’s alright, little one. You’re safe here,” he assured her. She didn’t want to argue with him, so she just nodded and headed to the kitchen to grab the bread and jam and went out to grab the milk while Jaren sliced the bread and spread the jam. She noticed that they would probably finish the milk this morning, and started making plans to get some more.   
She got her chance around midday, shortly after they finished lunch, when Jaren dozed off in his chair. She slipped outside, braving the storm, with the milk pail and headed to where she had noticed the goats. She had never helped her father with this particular chore, but she had watched him often enough, and it didn’t look too hard. She got nervous for a minute when the goats seemed ready to rebel against her, but she just put a hand on her neck and talked softly to her for a moment and she calmed quickly. She wasn’t sure why her hand was tingling where it touched her, but didn’t worry about it at all.   
Tiana was small enough that she didn’t even need a stool as she took the goats teats and started to pull like she’d seen her father do, but nothing happened. She tried a few more times before she stamped her foot in frustration and tried one last time. Once again, her hand tingled as the milk finally started flowing. When the small bucket was full, she carried it inside as quietly as she could. She would put it in the jars later, and she headed back out to try and do something with the garden. If Jaren was going to keep feeding her, then she should pull her weight. She could tell he couldn’t really do much with it anymore and wondered what he would do when she was gone. For the first time, she let herself consider staying here long term. Surely the villagers weren’t still looking for her and maybe if she stayed put, her father might find her.   
She puttered around the garden for a while, pulling weeds and setting things to rights. She wasn’t sure how long she was out there, but after a while she heard the cottage door open and Jaren called, “Tiana?” so she ran back to the house and he stepped aside to let her in. “Oh you silly child,” he gently admonished. “What were you doing out there in the storm?”   
“I was taking care of the garden,” she said proudly. “And I got some more milk from the goats.”  
Jaren just chuckled at her exuberance as he handed her a towel to dry off. “You didn’t need to do that,” he told her. “I was going to go do that this afternoon.”  
“That’s okay. I like helping. I used to help Papa all the time in the gardens. The goats were hard though,” she admitted.   
“I can’t believe they didn’t hurt you,” he said looking her over as if to make sure she really was unharmed. “They usually get rather perturbed at the process.” Tiana just shrugged and once she was as dry as she was going to get, she went over to start pouring the milk in the jars. As he watched her he started to get an idea. “I wonder…” he said thoughtfully and she looked curiously at him. Once the bucket was empty, he dipped it in the wash basin and filled it about halfway with water. “Can you make this water freeze?”   
“How?” she asked confused.   
“How did you bring the stuff from the cabinet yesterday?” he asked in response.   
“I don’t know. I just…kinda…wished it, I guess.”  
“Then just wish the water to freeze,” he told her with an encouraging smile.   
“I don’t know if I can,” she said sadly, not wanting to let him down.   
“It’s okay if you can’t. I just want to see if you can,” he prodded gently. If he could get her using her powers more consciously maybe it would be easier for her to accept what he would have to tell her soon.   
“I’ll try,” she said as she reached a hand for the bucket. She concentrated on what it felt like when she called the stuff from the cabinet and the water splashed out at her. Jaren chuckled lightly and motioned for her to try again. She thought that maybe she was trying to call the water to her, so she just focused on the wishing feeling and thought of the water being ice. It worked. A little too well. The water in the pail was now solid ice, as was the water left in the wash basin, and the water that was left on her, leaving her clothes rather stiff and she huffed in annoyance as Jaren laughed cheerfully. She had noticed that same tingling feeling in her hand though, and finally realized what it might be. “I…um…I think I might have…done something like that with the goats,” she said nervously, hoping he would take it as well as her other oddities.   
“What? Turned them to ice?” he teased good-naturedly.   
Tiana couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. “No,” she said as though it should be obvious. “I mean…like…used my wishing thing.”  
“That would make sense,” Jaren said nodding. “That would explain why they were docile enough to let you get the milk.”  
“Docile?”  
“Calm,” he corrected.   
“Maybe we shouldn’t drink the milk,” Tiana said nervously. She knew that it was supposed to be a bad thing. At least that’s what her father thought, and the villagers.   
“Nonsense. It wouldn’t have hurt it any. If anything, it might have helped it,” he told her. “That wishing thing you do. It’s called magic.”  
“Magic? Like in your stories?” She asked wide-eyed.   
“That’s right,” he told her. He wasn’t going to go into the prophecies yet, but he could tell her that much.   
“How come I can do it but no one else can? Everyone thinks it’s bad,” she said sadly.   
“You can do it because you’re special, and it’s not bad. It just tends to scare people because they can’t do it and that’s why they don’t like it,” Jaren told her.   
“But I…” Tiana started and then stopped herself before she said anything else. She didn’t want him to know what she had done. He would surely send her away then, if not hurt her himself.   
“You what, little one?” he asked gently seeing that something had scared her.   
“Nothing,” she said quickly and he could see she wasn’t going to budge so he let it drop for the time being. Maybe she would feel safe enough to open up to him eventually. In the meantime, all he could do was try to build trust. He wasn’t really qualified to teach her about her powers. That was a job for someone else. But he could at least show her that she had them and could use them consciously. He could see that she was uncomfortable with the idea now, so he let it drop. It was getting close to dinnertime so he let her help him make dinner, mostly in silence.   
While they were working Tiana was lost in thought. Now that she had time to think and was relatively comfortable, she couldn’t stop thinking about the lady and her baby that had died. That she had killed. She knew that was unforgivable. She was questioning her father’s order for her to run. He had always said that when she did something bad she should just accept the punishment. Why had he made her run away from it? Maybe he thought being out there alone and hungry in the storm was a better punishment than what the others had in mind. But she wasn’t out there. She was warm and comfortable, with enough food, and sheltered from the storm. Jaren was so nice to her though, and he really didn’t want her to go. He acted like her leaving would be punishing him and he didn’t deserve to be punished. He hadn’t done anything wrong.   
She kept up her silence through dinner and then went to lay down on her makeshift bed, still lost in thought and guilt. Nightmares kept her up most of the night that night, but she had thankfully not been loud enough to wake Jaren. Her dreams had been filled with the faces of the woman and baby, the woman yelling at her, and the faces of the villagers. In the nightmares they caught her and killed her and that’s usually when she woke up crying. For the first time, she was awake before Jaren and when she heard him getting up, she already had breakfast on the table. After breakfast, she asked softly, “Can I go work in the garden for a little while?”  
Jaren considered the idea for a moment. It wasn’t good for a child to be cooped up inside all the time, especially when there was nothing to do, and the garden did need to be tended, storm or no storm. When the storms last a month at a time, it wasn’t an uncommon thing. It still wasn’t good for her to be out there for too long though. “Only until lunch,” he told her. She nodded and ran out the door, not noticing his frown as she did. Whatever melancholy had struck her while they were talking yesterday, seemed to still have hold of her, and maybe it was his imagination, but she seemed tired. He felt very out of his depth. He didn’t know how to cheer her up. His children had always talked to him when they were upset, but he didn’t know how to get her to open up, and if he didn’t know what was bothering her, he didn’t know what to do about it.   
He decided to turn his mind to seeing what he could figure out given the information she had given him. She had mentioned helping her father before, but she hadn’t mentioned a mother. She had been terrified of being hurt by him, especially when she first showed her powers. She said that people were afraid of her, and seemed like she was about to offer some proof that her powers really were bad. Had something happened where she was from? Had there been an accident? She was obviously running from something, and he wondered if her father was part of the problem or if he had tried to protect her. She didn’t speak of him with fear though, so maybe he helped her escape. He knew enough about the villagers to know that it wouldn’t have boded well for him if he had. He remembered the line of the prophecy that said that she would come to him drowning in sorrow and death. It was his job to repair some of that damage and help her come to terms with it, but how to get her to talk. They still had almost two weeks together. He would give it a little more time before he started pushing. Prophecy had a way of offering its own solutions. Maybe something would happen that would prompt her to open up. In the meantime, he could at least try to cheer her up.   
While she was working in the garden, he began to search the house for anything that could be used as a toy before he lit on an idea. He pulled out his stack of parchment and ink. He could let her draw. Children liked to draw and he wouldn’t need them much longer. He knew that he wouldn’t have long after she left. He wondered if he had only lasted this long because it was his destiny to be here for her. He only hoped that it wouldn’t be his death that would send her on the next part of her journey. That he could hold out until after she left. She didn’t need to see that. While he had some time free, he pulled a piece of parchment to himself and dipped the quill in the ink. He still had a missive to write to his son. It would just be a little different than he had planned last week.   
Arden,  
The event we have all been waiting for has come to pass. The chosen has arrived, and our long vigil is over. She is so young though. Far too young, but there is naught we can do about that. You are free to live the remainder of your life as you see fit. I will not make it back to town though when she leaves. I am reaching the end of my life and doubt I would be able to make the journey. I wish you and your family well. I miss you my son.  
Until we meet again,  
Jaren  
That done, he folded the parchment and sealed it, setting it at the corner of the counter for the trader to find in case he was gone when he got here and then set to starting a stew for lunch. When it was ready he called Tiana in and helped her to dry off. He had pulled out one of his old shirts and had her change into that since her dress was beyond dirty and rather ragged by this point. He would try to fix it after lunch. He didn’t have any children’s clothes and wasn’t much good at sewing, but he could try and patch up the holes at least. His shirt went all the way down to her ankles, and since she didn’t have any other clothing he had the idea to make a makeshift belt and give her some more of his shirts when he sent her on her way. It would at least be something she could change into.   
He was glad to see that the time outside had done her some good. She wasn’t nearly as sad as she had seemed before, though she still seemed just as tired. So much so that he talked her into taking a nap after lunch and even sent her to his bed for it while he sat in his chair and took the moment alone to re-read the ancient prophecies. He wanted to make sure that he hadn’t forgotten anything this close to the end. He replaced the book in the drawer when he heard her starting to stir. He didn’t want to have to answer any questions about it just yet. When she came out, still rubbing her eyes, he smiled softly at her. “I found some spare parchment and ink if you want to draw for a little while,” he offered motioning to the desk and the smile that lit her face was contagious as she rushed over there.   
“How much can I use?” she asked hopefully.   
“As much as you want. I only put out what I could spare,” he told her cheerfully. She didn’t need to know that it was all he had. She didn’t need to know that he was dying and wouldn’t need any more. “Just remember that it has to last until you leave,” he reminded her.   
The grin on her face just got brighter as she looked wide-eyed at the stack. Her father let her draw sometimes, but he didn’t want to waste too much parchment so it wasn’t often. She was used to conserving and drew small, using every available inch. She didn’t even notice when Jaren started dinner, and when he called her to eat, she had barely made a dent in the stack. She would easily be able to make it last until the storms were over.   
After they ate, Jaren asked, “Can I see your drawings? Maybe you could tell me about them?”  
“Okay!” she said cheerfully and brought over what she had. She pointed out her father, and some of her favorite toys that she had left behind. When she could remember, she told him about how she got them and what she used to do with them. She had drawn the goats that they had and told him about them too. He noticed that she didn’t talk much about her father, despite drawing him quite well, and wondered if that was too painful a subject for her right now. When they went to bed soon after, they were both in far better moods than they had been the night before and Jaren was glad that he was able to cheer her up.   
Tiana was glad that she didn’t have any nightmares that night and she was woken for breakfast the next morning feeling well rested. They quickly worked out a routine. She would spend the morning working in the garden and milking the goats until lunch, and then the afternoons drawing. After dinner, she would tell Jaren all about her drawings. She let him do most of the cooking, but she did all the cleaning. She even got him to teach her how to wash her own clothes, but he wouldn’t let her wash his. All in all, she was getting more and more comfortable here, and even felt almost safe as the storms began to taper off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magical Awakening is now live on Amazon in both paperback and kindle verions here https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Magical+Awakening
> 
> As a celebration, have one more preview chapter :)

It was about a week before the storms were due to end when Jaren heard hoofs marching through the forest. It was too early for the trader to be there. He never came until after the storms ended. He wasn’t sure who it was, but he didn’t want to take any chances of it being one of the people who ran Tiana off from her home. She was sitting at the desk drawing and he said, “Tiana, someone’s coming. Take all your drawings and go into the bedroom and be quiet.”  
She bit her lip fearfully and quickly did as she was told. As if the fear of who it might be wasn’t bad enough, she was flashing back to when her father told her to run away, but then pretended to tell her to go to her room. Jaren took another quick look around the room to make sure that there was no sign that Tiana had been there before he opened the door.   
It turned out that it was the trader after all. “You’re early,” Jaren said curiously.   
“I was worried about you. I set out as soon as it was safe to travel. There’s a witch running around these woods.”  
“A witch?” he asked feigning curiosity.   
“Yeah. She’s already killed two people directly, one of them a baby, and bewitched an old man into sacrificing himself so she could escape,” the trader told him.   
Jaren forced himself not to react to that. He was starting to understand what had Tiana so scared now. He asked the questions he would be expected to ask. “Bewitched him how?”   
“I don’t know, but he held off the magistrate and started a fight that got him killed to give her time to escape and she headed into these woods.”  
“What does she look like?” he asked despite knowing the most probable answer to that question.   
“When she was in the village she was posing as a little girl. Curly brown hair, purple eyes, according to the villagers. You should probably come back into town for a while to be safe.”  
“No. I’m fine here. I haven’t seen any sign of her and I doubt I will. If she’s on the run, she will avoid anyone in the area,” Jaren told him and suddenly wanted to get rid of him so he could go to Tiana. If she was listening she was probably horribly upset by now.   
“Alright. If you’re sure. I’ll unload your usual supplies. You got anything for me to take into town?”  
Jaren handed over the letter he had written to his son, knowing that the traders next stop on his route after him was the town his son lived in. He watched as his supplies were put away. He wanted to tell him to just go, but that would draw suspicion. The trader had been putting his supplies away for him for the last two years, ever since he started having trouble getting around on his own. It seemed like forever before the hoofbeats were trailing away from the cottage and he rushed into the room to find Tiana pressed into the corner, knees pulled to her chest and sobbing silently. Jaren sat on the bed next to her and she flinched away from him, but didn’t seem to care much about anything else. “Are you gonna punish me now?” she asked through her sobs.   
“No, little one. I’m not,” he said gently. He was very worried that she didn’t even seem ready to fight the idea any more. She seemed ready to accept whatever fate he decided to bring down on her and that said a lot about her current state of mind, and none of it good. “Do you wanna tell me what happened?” he prodded gently.   
“It…it was…an accident,” she said brokenly. “T-the sign…it was falling…headed for Papa…I didn’t…didn’t want him to be hurt. I just…just wished it away from him. I didn’t mean…I didn’t want it to hit anyone else…I-I’m s-sorry.”  
Jaren could feel his own tears prickling his eyes as he thought of what it must have been like for her, to see that, and to know that she was the cause of it. He reached down and lifted her up, even more alarmed that she didn’t even try to struggle. He set her next to him on the bed and wrapped an arm around her. “It’s okay, little one. It was just an accident. It wasn’t your fault,” he said soothingly.   
“P-papa. That man…he said…said papa’s…” she couldn’t finish the sentence, but Jaren knew what she meant and guessed correctly that he was the old man that tried to protect her.   
“I’m so sorry, little one,” he said sadly, still holding her close as she sobbed. “But you must never forget that he wanted you to go on. He gave himself to give you a chance to live. Don’t throw that away.” She was far too young to understand this. She shouldn’t have to be dealing with it, but he was scared for her. He was watching her spark go out. She didn’t care what happened to her anymore, and he hoped it was just the shock of it, but he had to make sure that she snapped out of it. The sooner, the better. They didn’t have much time left. “Please, Tiana. Promise me that you’ll keep going. Always.”  
“How?” she asked heartbroken. “I…I don’t know…if I can.”  
“You must,” he told her gently. He wasn’t sure if now was the best time to tell her about the prophecies and her destiny, but he had to give her something to fight for. Something to work for. She had lost everything and without something to hold on to, she could be lost. “You have a big destiny, child. There is much for you to do still.” She didn’t respond, but her sobs were beginning to diminish and eventually they drifted to a stop and he could tell she was dozing off. He laid her down on the bed and covered her up. “Sleep, child. We will talk more later,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to her brow.   
Jaren shuffled out of the room and pulled out the ancient texts to study as he waited for her to wake up. It was time. He knew that she wouldn’t sleep for long. She was just exhausted from the emotional outburst. He suspected it would be nightmares that woke her, but hoped for the best. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be. She was sniffling when she emerged from the bedroom an hour later, but she plastered a brave look on her face as she came over to sit in the chair next to him. “What did you mean?” she asked curiously.   
Jaren had been considering where to begin, and had a plan all mapped out. He patted the book in his lap to draw attention to it as he said, “This is a book of ancient prophecies. Prophecies are something that someone saw long before they ever happened. They know the future. This was written about two thousand years ago. See, magic used to be a big part of the world. Everything was part of magic. Even people. The people who could use magic were called a lot of things…”  
“Like witches,” she said sadly.   
“Yes, that is one of the names they went by. People now think of witches as a bad thing though, so I don’t recommend using it. They also went by magicians, sorcerers, enchanters, and even gods. It’s not clear what happened really, but there were a lot of wars and fighting between them, until magic finally died. The last two gods, as they called themselves, killed each other right here in this clearing and my family was told to wait here…for you.”  
“Me?” she asked wide-eyed.   
“Yes. The prophecies said that one day magic would return and the one who could use it would be led here, so my family was asked to wait here for you. My father and his father and his father, all the way back for a thousand years.”  
“Does that mean I can stay with you?” she asked hopefully.   
This was the part that Jaren dreaded. If he had ever dreamed that the chosen one would come to him so young he could have prepared himself, but he had always assumed that she would at least be a teenager, if not an adult by the time she started on her journey. “I’m so sorry, little one. I wish you could. I would do anything for you to be able to stay here, at least until you’re older, but the prophecies are clear. You have to go when the storms stop. You have to continue your journey,” he said sadly.   
“But…why? I won’t be any trouble. I promise. And I can help with stuff. Like I have been. I won’t eat much…”  
He had to cut her off. He couldn’t hear any more. His heart was breaking for her. “It’s not so simple, little one. If it were up to me I would let you stay forever, but if you stay, you will die and evil will take over the world before eventually destroying it.” Tiana bit her lip fighting against the tears threatening to flow. “Don’t worry. You won’t be alone for long,” he assured her, wanting to give her at least some comfort. “You will find a guide to help you and travel with you.”  
“Why can’t you be my guide?” she asked, voice trembling.   
“That is not my role. I am ‘the sage’ according to prophecy. I have some things for you when you leave, to make your journey easier. Even if I could take on the role of your guide, I am too old. I can’t move around like I used to. I can’t travel with you and I wouldn’t know where you need to go. Your guide will. I know this is a big job for such a little girl, but you’ll be alright. I promise. You just have to be brave and strong like I know you can be.”  
“I…I’ll try,” she said as the tears flowed, but she wiped them away and plastered a brave look on her face.   
“Chin up, child. You can still stay here for a while yet. You will stay until the storms end,” he told her. “And I will teach you everything I know, little as it is, before then.” She nodded resolutely and he smiled encouragingly at her. “But now, it is time to start on dinner,” he said as he pulled himself to his feet.   
She went over to wash the vegetables before he chopped them and asked, “So what else does it say about me in the book?”   
“There is not much about you specifically. Most of it is about the death of magic and what the world would be like without it. You don’t come in until the end. See the thing about prophecies is they don’t always make a lot of sense, and they get harder to understand the farther in the future they are. What I’ve already told you, is easy enough to understand, but there is a lot that I don’t understand, and can’t understand without seeing it happen. For example, it said that you would arrive drowning in sorrow and death, but I didn’t know what that meant until I met you and learned about your past.”  
“Oh,” she said sadly, looking down and fighting tears again at the reminder.   
“You will take the book when you go though. I know you won’t be able to read it yet, but perhaps your guide can. It will help you understand more as you go along.”  
“But it’s yours,” she protested.   
“No, child. I have simply been holding it for you. It has always been meant for you, along with the other things I will give you,” he told her.   
“Like what?” she asked curiously.   
“There is what looks like an egg of some sort, but I’m not sure what kind, and an old horn. See when you leave here, you will find danger soon. When you do, you have to blow the horn.”  
“And the horn will help?” she asked.   
“Yes. But I don’t know how. That is one of those things that I don’t understand,” he told her.   
“What does it say?”   
“It just says that the ancients of the forest will take you to their heart.”  
She scrunched up her nose as she thought about that. “I don’t get it,” she finally said.  
“Neither do I, child. Neither do I,” he said understandingly. The remainder of the cooking and the meal passed in silence and Jaren was feeling a little better about the situation. He could tell that she was still distraught, but he had given her something to think about. Something to live for, and that showed in her demeanor. He hated that she was being forced to grow up so fast though. He hated the burden that now rested on her shoulders and vowed that he would help her to carry it as much as he could before she was forced to leave.   
Tiana was still tired from all the emotions of the day, so she went to bed soon after dinner, but sleep was a long time coming. She kept thinking about the prophecies and what she had to do. She was afraid, but she remembered what Jaren said about her being brave and strong and she was determined not to let him down. When she finally did fall asleep, she slept soundly and didn’t wake until Jaren woke her for breakfast and she had more questions for him. “You said the last two people like me died here, how?”  
“I don’t know the details, but I know that they were enemies. There was a big fight and they both killed each other at the same time. Did you see that old black oak tree out near the woodline?” he asked and she nodded. “That’s supposed to be where it happened. That tree sprung up at the spot that magic died.”  
“Why was it your family that had to wait here?”   
“We had always served the god that lived here, but one of my ancestors was the one to betray him to his enemy and caused the final battle. To try to make up for it, my family was tasked to wait here for the chosen one to come to return magic to the world,” he explained.   
“You got punished because of what someone else did?” she asked distastefully.   
“No. It is not a punishment, but a duty. If he had lived we would be serving him still. It’s not so bad here. It’s nice to live out the end of one’s life in peace and solitude after all. I got to live out in the world, married, had children, a good life. Then when my father got too old to continue, I came to take his place, as my son would have come to take my place soon had you not come when you did,” he explained.   
“You didn’t mind having to wait here alone so long?” she asked confused. She couldn’t imagine wanting to spend so much time alone.   
“Not at all. You will find, when you reach my age, that it is tiring to deal with people all the time. Some peace and solitude is a precious thing,” he told her with a smile. “But it is nice to have some company from time to time,” he added, not wanting her to think that she was intruding and the smile she shot him told him that she understood.   
The remainder of the week was spent with Jared telling Tiana everything he knew and thought he had figured out about magic and teaching her how to read. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to finish. They didn’t have nearly enough time for her to learn completely, but he could get her started and make it easier for her later. She asked a lot of questions and he answered them as best he could. Then they day finally came. Jaren woke to the sun shining in the windows and knew it was time. He let out a weary sigh as he got out of bed.   
Jaren stood there and watched her sleep for a few minutes, not wanting to disturb her just yet, before he went to the kitchen to get their breakfasts ready. He knew that he was pushing things, but didn’t have the heart to send her out on an empty stomach. Only when it was ready, did he wake her. She noticed the sun shining too, and knew it was time for her to go, so it was a silent meal and the sadness was almost palpable in the room. When they were done eating, Tiana started to clean up as she normally did while Jaren went to get the bag that she had arrived with. In it, he placed two large loaves of bread, a jar filled with water, three of his shirts and the rope they had been using as a belt, and the book. There was no room for more in the bag so he had to find something else for the egg.   
By the time she was finished with the breakfast dishes, he had fashioned a sling for her to hold the egg in and taken out the horn as well. “It’s time to go, Tiana,” he said sadly.   
“I can stay and take care of the garden and milk the goats for you again. I can still leave after lunch,” she offered hopefully.   
“I’m sorry, little one. I fear you have stayed too long already,” he told her holding back his own tears.   
She nodded sadly and ran to him and hugged him tightly. “I’ll miss you,” she said, sniffling.   
“I’ll miss you too, child.”  
“I’ll never forget you,” she vowed.  
“Nor will I,” he said giving her one more squeeze before she let go. He helped her get the sling around her neck and settle the egg against her stomach, draped the cord for the horn over it so that the horn rested just below the egg, and then got the bag over her shoulders. “Go on, little one. And good luck,” he said with a watery smile.   
“Goodbye,” she said as the tears streaked down her cheeks, but she walked away anyway, stopping every so often to look back at him as he stood on the stoop watching her go. When she entered the forest in the direction he had pointed her, past the black twisted oak, he turned and went back inside and sat sadly in his chair. The place suddenly felt far more empty than it ever had before. He closed his eyes for a moment, against the sadness, not realizing that they would never open again.


End file.
